Ahmad 
In a joint statement, 22 international human rights and relief organizations called on the Maltese government to stop the forcible return of irregular migrants to Libya.
The organizations noted that these actions contravene international law, expressing concern about the fate of migrants returning to Libya, where they are held in centers some run by armed factions.
The organizations expressed reservations about reports that Maltese authorities allowed the Libyan coastguard access to its search and rescue zone to return migrants to Libya.
The organizations stressed that Libya is not a safe environment for migrants due to security turmoil and political divisions, which makes their conditions difficult, noting that the difficult conditions for migrants and asylum seekers in Libya are documented by United Nations experts.
The organizations insisted that reports of 83 migrants being forcibly returned to Libya should be investigated, an incident monitored by the alarm phone network the previous week.
Signatories to the joint statement include organizations such as Adityos, the League for Justice, Equality and Peace, Blue Door Education, the Critical Institute, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, the Malta Humanists Association, the Paulo Freire Institute Foundation, the Victim Support in Malta, and the Women’s Rights Foundation.
Over the past few years, the Maltese government has faced repeated accusations of failing to help migrants in the Mediterranean and being implicated in a controversial deal since 2020 to forcibly return irregular migrants to Libya.
The Libyan authorities are preparing to reopen the Ras Jedir border crossing with Tunisia